Method of treating tin-scrap.



M. LEITCH. METHOD 0F TREATING TIN SCRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17,1907.

PATENTED MAR. 3l, 1908.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 888,210. PATBNTED MAR.' 81, 1908.

M. LEITGH.

METHOD o8 TRBATING TIN SCRAP. AFPLIGATION FILED MAY 17,1907A 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908.

y M. LBITGH.

METHOD 0F TRBATING TIN SCRAP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1907.

a SHBETSSHEBT a.

l To all whom tt may concern:

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

MEREDITH LEITOH, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TQ METAL PROCESS COMPANY, l

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

METHOD OF TREATING TIN-SCRAI.

Specification of`Letters Patent.v

Original application filed November 30,

Patented March 31, 1908.

'Serial No. 374,132.

Be it known that I, MEEEDITH LEITCH, a

Acitizen of the United States, residing at Elizabeth, Union county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Treating Tin-Scrap, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. I

My invention has for its object to produce a new and improved method of treating old tin cans and similar tin scrap, preparatory to detinning.

One of the objects of my invention is to tear the cans apartso that the seams will be opened in order that the solder will be more completely removed before detinning and the tin within the seams maybe removed in a subsequent detinning process.4 The tin and solder are thus saved and moreover are removed `from the iron, which is very important since their presence in the iron when subsequently melted reducesits value.

Another object of my invention is to reduce the tin scrap to such form that it can be baled by pressure, that is,'so that it can be compressed into bundles which will retain their form without being bound together by special binding ineens.

My method is preferably carried out by a paratus consisting of a furnace in which the tin scrap is heated ,sufficiently to Inelt the solder, a non-oxidizing4 atmosphere being maintained within the furnace. The tin scrap after it leaves the furnace is then fed to an apparatus where it is torn apart and out up into strips. ln the referred 'form it is torn apart while the sol)der is still melted, this resulting in a more uniform and easy opening of the seams, as well as the dislodgmenty of solder contained within the seams, `which solder can be collected and saved. The apparatus for tearing the tin sera i apart and cutting it into strips is surrounded by an atmosphere such that substantially no oxid- `ization'takes place.

In'some forms the furnace may be omitted and the 'tin scrap 'fed into the rending and cutting machine in an unheated condition. Thisavouhl `bel done, for instance, when it was 'desired 'to bale the shaft B. The teeth 011 B', the two s 4carries a the tin scrap beforede-- soldering, as might be the case where the desoldering plant was .some distance from' where the tin scrap was collected.

suitable for carrying out my m ence being had to the accompanying ings.

Figure 1 is a plan View of the rend-lng o1' tearing and cutting apparatus; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the Sallie; Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the pitch lines of the gears; and Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the same in combination with a desolderin furnace.

Referring more particu arly to the drawings, A represents a gan of disks having projecting teeth and suital referdrawthe disks A are pointed in the direction opposite to' the direction of rotation.

A is a gan of disks nmounted upon a shaft afts B and B gears C-Cf together so that the two gangs rotate in opposite directions at the same speed. The teeth and the disks A* are pref erabl :pointed in the direction of rotation. Anot er gang of smaller toothed disks D is mounted on the shaft E, which shaft car- 'ries a gear F meshing with the gear G on the shaft B. The gear F is of Alesser dialneter than the disks :D land the gear Gr of greater diameter than the disks A with-the result that the movement of the teeth on the disks D is slightly faster than-the movement of the teeth u on the disks A. A second lgang of toothe disks H, similar to the disks is' mounted on theshaft I, which shaft gear J similar -to the gear F. A third gang of toothed disks K is mounted on the shaft L, which shaft carries a gear M. vrlhe'teeth on the disks D, H and K all point in the direction of rotation. meshes with a gear N mounted on the-shaft which ymeshes' with the gear 'P upon the shaft iE. The shaft L carries 'the driving wheellLand the fly-wheel L2. Power is-applied tothe driving wheel-L so as to'rotate it at a rapid rate, say 360 -turns per minute. This wer is transmitted 'through the gears M, NFO P to the shaft 1E, which' rotates at a y mounted upon being geared by- The gear M I very much slower speed, say 180 turns er minute. Power is transmitted from t is shaft to the shaft A through the gears F, G and from the shaft A- through the gears C-C tothe shaft of the disks A. It is likewise transmitted through the gears G and J to the shaft I, which rotates at the same rate as the shaft E. Disks A and A rotate at about 60.revolutions er minute.

The teeth of the isks D lie close to one sideof the disks A, while the teeth of the disks H lie close to the other side of the disks A. The disks K are spaced twice as far apart as the disks upon the other groups, and are in line with every other one of the disks D. The disks are all made of thin metal, the disks A-A, D and H being slightly more than-gn inch, While the disks K are sli htlyI less than inch and should be made of strong steel.

The scrap which is to be torn asunder and cut up is fed between the disks A-A. The teeth upon these disks A-A engage the scrap and cause it to pass down between them, flattening or crushing it together somewhat. When the scrap reaches the gang of disks D it passes between these disks and the disks A. The teeth on the disks D enter the s aces between the disks A with the result `t at the scrap is impaled upon the teeth of the disks A and to a greater or less extent upon the disks D. Since the teeth on the disks D move at a faster rate than the teeth opposite them on the disks A (the movements of the opposing teeth being in the same direction) there is a tearing or rending action, and the seams of the tin scra are torn apart. After passing the disksv the scrap 1s next subjected to the disks A, the teet of which are also moving at a faster rate than the teeth upon the disks A, whereupon the scrap is subjectedto a second tearing orrending action, which will open any seams which may have escaped before. From the disks A the scrap is next passed on to the disks K. These teeth are rotated at`a very rapid rate so that a sawing action takes place. The scrap before fit reaches them is impaled u on the teeth of the disks A, and is,

ltherefore, eld so as tov be subjected to the action of these saws which cut it into shreds. It will be seen from the fore oing that the disks A constitute a slowly ativancing abutment for the action of the rending or tearing of disks D and H and also constitute an abutmel tvfor the sawing disk's K. In order that no scrap may adw vere to the sawing disks K, I provide a stripper fQ which consists of a series` of members situated between the disks K and so shaped as to leave the sawv teeth exposed for sawing action, but to come out to t e tips of the saw teeth to the point R, so that any material which may adhere to the points will be forced off. The moving abutment furnished by the di ks A is an important feature since it continually presents to the gangs D and H and the saws I a new surface. If a stationary abutment were used scrap might become lodged upon it and accumulate so as to result in an obstruction. With the moving abutment, when a point passes from the saws K upward any scrap which has not otherwise been dislodged, drops off so that upon the next revolution of the disks A there Will be no scrap adhering thereto.

In F ig. 4 I have shown a desoldering furnace S, such as is shown in my Patent No. 800,222, granted September26, 1905. This' furnace discharges the desoldered scrapinto an inclosed chamber T containing the shredding apparatus. The scrap reaches the shredding apparatus While still hot, and .the seams are torn apart while the solder is melted. A deoxidized atmosphere is maintained around the apparatus by reason of the gases escaping through the discharge opening of the furnace. A suitable elevator U is provided for removing the shredded scrap from the pit. By the time it reaches the surface it is suHiciently cooled so that danger of oxidization is passed.v

Scrap which has been thus treated has on it a minimum amount .of solder. Its seams anJ Well 'opened so that they can'be thoroughly detinned. It is further cut up and made into a form such that it can be readily compressed into bundles which will hold their slape. All of which results are 'very valua e` The apparatus described in this application is claimed in my co ending application Serial No. 345,816, filed ovember30, 1906, of which this is a division.

What I claim is- 1. The method of preparing tin cans and theI like for detinning, which consists in heating the cans in a deoxidized atmosphere and tearing them apart while still heated.

2. The method of preparing tin cans and the like for detinning, which consists in heating them in a deoxidized atmosphere, tearing them apart while still heated,y and then cutting them up into strips.

3. The method of pre aring tin cans and the like for detinning, w ich consists in impaling them on two sets of teeth having a slow relative movement, and moving said teeth soas to tear the cans apart.

4. The method of pre aring tin cans and thelike for detinning, which consists in impaling them on two sets ofvteeth and moving said teeth so as to tear the cans a art, and later sawing the torn cans while sti impaled on said sets of teeth.

. 5. .The method of pre aring tin cans and Vthe like for detinning, w 'ch consists in flattening them out and tearing them e art so as jeetng them While thus impaled and; movingl open the seams and then cutting t lem into to rending and cutting aetions" strips. V 6. The method of pre airing tin cans and MEREDITH LETCH 5 the like for detinnin, W ich consists in im- Witnesses:

paling them on teet slowly moving them L. A. WELLES',

while thus mpalech and successively suh- W. P. PALMER; 

